Two Is Better
by Lingua Dii
Summary: Someone crashed onto a Pokémon world. Is it friend or foe? Rated T for language. Sorry for the monumental delay.
1. Than One

I just wanted to point out that, while the main characters in this story have the same name as the ones in my previous Pokémon stories, they are **not** the same characters. I suck at naming characters, which is why their names are the same. It's one of the reasons, anyway. Another is that they're named the way they are for a reason, and I'd like to hold on to that. The characters are not even related in any way. Consider this an entirely separate universe from the other stories', if you feel the need to.  
>Also, you may have noticed I don't go beyond gen IV. That's because I only know a handful of Pokémon from gens V and VI (mostly legendaries), as I haven't finished and started their games yet, respectively.<br>Another "also", this time related to this story. The first story block spoils who the villain for this story is. I wrote it before that occurred to me, but kept it because I thought it sounded cool. If you don't want to have that character spoiled, just use your browser's search feature (usually accessed by pressing Ctrl+F, among other key combinations) to scroll down to the first instance of "Blaziken".

* * *

><p>There are many worlds in the Universe. They are each inhabited by different beings, but one kind of being is favorited amongst all the others: Pokémon. They were created by Arceus, the very first Pokémon in existence. After springing forth from a cosmic egg, it created four dimensions; one for Dialga, the Pokémon created to govern all of time, one for Palkia, the Pokémon created to govern all of space, one for several hundred – perhaps thousand – of other kinds of Pokémon, and another one for Giratina, whose destructive tendencies forced Arceus to imprison it in a world where it could do nothing but watch the other Pokémon while maintaining the balance between dimensions, lest they all collapse. The Pokémon lived in harmony with their respective worlds and with nature.<br>Then, something unexpected happen: humans appeared. They only existed in a tiny speck of a world in the Milky Way they named "Earth", yet Arceus believed they couldn't be trusted. They started off fairly peacefully: befriending Pokémon and asking for their help in some matters, which the Pokémon were glad to assist with. It wasn't long, though, before they invented devices to force Pokémon to live with them. Many Pokémon were glad to have a more permanent living arrangement, but the humans used the devices on wild Pokémon as well, who didn't want to be a part of their group – who distrusted all humans – and kept them around until their will broke. Some evil humans amassed armies of Pokémon to fight their wars for them. They didn't care about the Pokémon's safety. They just wanted power, and Pokémon were the way to get it.  
>Eventually, humans tried to create Pokémon of their own. They succeeded with a Pokémon they named "Porygon", but that wasn't enough. While the creation act was a great success, the Pokémon itself proved unreliable in combat. They quickly turned to cloning already-existing Pokémon. "Improved versions", as they called them. After hundreds of failures all over the globe, they created one out of the DNA of the ancestor of all Pokémon: Mew. And they named it Mewtwo. Mewtwo didn't know why it had been born or why it existed. It only knew it didn't belong anywhere, so it killed its creators and retreated to an island. It considered controlling the entire Earth with its powers, and even tried to do so with an army of clones, but it was stopped by a pure-hearted trainer. It then retreated, never to be seen again. After several years, Mewtwo discovered one of the improvements the humans had given it when they created it – or perhaps inherited from its DNA source, Mew – was agelessness. It didn't know that, though, until it saw its friends, the other clones, die from old age. Its heart grew heavy with sadness, regret, but, above all else, anger. Anger at the humans for having created it. Anger at the humans for not having told it about the full extent of its abilities. Anger at Arceus for having allowed this to happen. It wanted to die; to join its friends. However, it was too scared to take its own life. Instead, once it found a new power within itself, it fled Earth. It was difficult for the Pokémon to get out of Earth's atmosphere at first, but, eventually, it managed to focus its psychic powers enough to create a temporary barrier to keep itself from freezing. It drifted across space for what felt like an eternity, passing by a star every once in a while, in order to warm itself up. As it traveled, its anger grew larger, quickly turning to hate. It wanted to go back to Earth and make the humans pay for what they'd done. It wanted to take on Arceus. It wanted revenge.<p>

"_Humans... Arceus... You will feel my wrath. And this time... nothing will stop me._"

* * *

><p>On a planet in the Milky Way galaxy, a Blaziken was locked in a room. Ice-cold water was pouring from the ceiling above him, yet the Blaziken felt no cold or discomfort. He was standing under the endless stream, with his face toward the ground and his eyes closed. After a few seconds, a Blastoise and a Glalie appeared in front of him. The Blastoise hesitantly fired continuous jets of water at him, while the Glalie, also hesitantly, cooled them down. Their target still showed no discomfort, nor did he open his eyes, move, or make any sort of sound. He eventually froze, much to everyone's surprise.<p>

"I-Is he dead?" the Blastoise asked.

Water kept falling from above for several minutes, yet there was no reaction from the Blaziken. The other Pokémon became increasingly concerned, until the Blaziken began to glow red, getting brighter with each passing moment. After the Blaziken reached a certain temperature, the ice quickly began to melt away. It disappeared completely, yet he didn't stop getting brighter and hotter. Eventually, the water falling on top of him evaporated before it even touched his skin. The air around him became distorted from the heat, and the entire room felt like it was boiling. The other Pokémon instinctively shot water at him, but all they could do was slow down the Blaziken's progress. The room got even hotter, to the point that the floor beneath the Blaziken burst into flames. Finally, the Blaziken opened its eyes and spat a single, continuous, wide line of fire at his attackers. The point where the attacks connected generated enormous amounts of steam, which quickly filled the room, making it nearly impossible to see. The fire slowly advanced toward its intended targets and heated up the room even further.  
>The Glalie was the first to succumb to the heat. He fell on the ground, yet his partner wouldn't give up. She redoubled her efforts, using both her cannons to triple her water output. The fire stopped moving forward, so the Blaziken pushed even harder. To conserve his strength, he stopped heating up the air around him to the point where the water crashing down only barely evaporated before touching him. This allowed for a greater burst of fire, giving him the advantage once again. His flames slowly pushed forward until they reached their target, who began to panic. She desperately tried to fight back, yet she couldn't. She tried to run away, but it was too late. Eventually, the fire evaporated the water she was producing before it even left her body. All that came out was steam. She finally collapsed with a loud thud, and the attack stopped.<br>The Blaziken finally took a few steps forward, in the direction of his attackers. He helped them back up while the never-ending water cooled the room back down and cleared away the steam. All three Pokémon were impressed by the Blaziken's victory. The Glalie and Blastoise complimented him, but he simply smiled and nodded while his eyes jumped from one Pokémon to the other as they spoke.  
>After a few minutes of nonstop compliments, a fourth party entered the room: a Lucario. The heat was just slightly bearable for him, yet he, like the Blaziken, showed no discomfort.<p>

"Aw, man!" the Lucario yelled in disappointment. "Did I miss it?"  
>"Yes, Max." the Blaziken replied. "You missed it."<br>"Sorry, bro. I got up a little later than usual. Did you win?"  
>"He sure did!" the Glalie said happily. "It was amazing! First we froze him, but then he managed to melt the ice and did this thing with the air – even the ground was on fire! And then-"<br>"Calm down, Will... Excuse my friend. He gets a little too excited while fighting."  
>"Amber, is it?"<br>"Yup."  
>"Don't <strong>you<strong> get excited while fighting? I've never met anyone who didn't. It's in our nature."  
>"I try to keep emotion out of battles."<br>"That's... unusual."  
>"Emotion is weakness, Mr. Max. It makes you act recklessly."<br>"Emotion is strength." the Blaziken intervened. "It all depends on your control over your emotional state. If you learn to master your emotions, you master yourself. And then your full potential will be unlocked."  
>"I..."<br>"How do you think I won? **You** had the advantage. It was two against one. More than that; you **froze** me. I should've lost... but I didn't."  
>"What were you thinking about?" Amber asked.<br>"I was just..."

The Blaziken looked at the three Pokémon around him. He didn't want to share his feelings, as he only knew Max well enough to know he wouldn't try to take advantage of them. Will and Amber were a different story. He didn't know if they could be trusted. Although Amber had shared her story with him, he was still unsure if it was the truth or just something she made up.

"I... I'll tell you some day. When you're older."  
>"Aw, come on..." Will complained.<p>

Amber knew exactly why the Blaziken wouldn't tell her or Will what he had focused on that allowed him to tap into his full potential. She was annoyed, but she tried to keep it to herself.

"It's fine, Will... If Mr. Blake doesn't want to tell us, it's his choice. Come on; let's go."

Will reluctantly went with his friend, who fought the urge to stomp out of the training building. As soon as they were out the door, Max turned to Blake.

"So... Just what **were** you thinking about?"  
>"You know what..."<p>

Max stared at Blake for a while, looking for confirmation that what he thought was true. When he felt Blake had confirmed it with his complex expression, he sighed.

"...I understand, Blake."

To emphasize his understanding and calm Blake down, Max quickly wrapped his arms around his friend, patting his back just hard enough to be heard over the still-crashing water and reach Blake's ears. Blake hesitantly reciprocated the action, though he only patted his friend's back hard enough for him to feel it. After almost ten seconds, they released each other.

"I'm hungry." Max said. "You gotta be hungry too, after that fight. Wanna go get some lunch? I know how much you love pasta."  
>"S-Sure."<br>"Let me just turn off that water..."

Max hit a switch on the wall, and the doors where the water was coming from closed, stopping its flow.

"Let's go!"

* * *

><p>Several hundred miles away, something crashed onto Blake's world. It fell from far beyond the atmosphere as a ball of fire, similarly to a meteor. As it passed the cloud cover, light burst from it, and it fell even faster. It finally hit the ground with enough force to create a shockwave that bent the trees by several feet, breaking several of them outright. The creature was injured and boiling hot from re-entry, but mostly starving. It slowly rose, trying to adjust to its new environment while also being held back by its wounds.<p>

"_This planet... The atmosphere is different... Thicker... Gravity's also stronger... It will take some time to adapt._"

This creature didn't go unnoticed by a pair of Pokémon – a Medicham and his child – that happened to be passing by. They saw the fireball and heard the explosion, being startled by them. Meteor crashes were very rare, given their planet's twin moons and relatively clear solar system. Their thick atmosphere also meant that most meteors simply disintegrated before they even reached the ground. For something to actually hit the ground meant that it would have to have been enormous in size.

"Daddy, what was that?"  
>"I don't know, Jimmy... Stay here."<br>"Wait, daddy-!"

The Medicham left his child's side and rushed to the crash site. There, he found a strange creature struggling to breathe, covered in wounds, in the middle of a crater. He rushed to its side to help, but was immediately pushed backward.

"Come no closer, Pokémon."  
>"Poké-what? Look, I'm just trying to help. I'm Matt. Who are you?"<br>"Y-You can speak?"  
>"Of course! Why wouldn't I be able t-"<br>"These Pokémon... They're not like the ones on... Then he... Hm..."  
>"You're not making any sense. Just let me help you!"<p>

Matt stepped forward again, yet the same strange force pushed him back even harder. Closing its eyes, Matt realized that the creature was the cause of this force. After this realization, he put more power into his legs and started moving forward very slowly.

"Stand back! I don't want to hurt you!"  
>"Stop this! I just want to-"<p>

The creature finally jumped toward the Medicham and kicked him in the head.

"Don't think my wounds will make your life any easier, Pokémon... I will fight you to the death, if it must be."  
>"What in Arceus's name is a 'Pokémon'? And why do you want to fight? I only want to help you!"<br>"Arceus... You know of him? ...It doesn't matter. If you follow him, you are my sworn enemy."  
>"What? I don't-"<br>"Prepare to fight, Pokémon."  
>"Stop!"<p>

The creature tossed a sphere of pure psychic energy at Matt, which only served to make him angry.

"If you want to fight... So be it."

Matt started running around the creature as quickly as he could, dodging every psychic blast it tossed his way.

"Stop moving!"

Without warning, Matt dashed toward the creature and struck it, coming out on behind it at the same distance he had been at when he was running around it. The creature dropped to one knee from the impact, making Matt think he had won.

"One punch and you're already on the ground?"  
>"You're stronger than the others..."<br>"What others?"  
>"It's no surprise... This planet is hard to get used to. It makes sense that you'd be stronger."<br>"**What** are you talking about?"  
>"You'll find out soon enough..."<p>

The creature stretched its arm and painfully lifted Matt off the ground telekinetically, crushing his body.

"Foolish Pokémon... You cannot defeat me."  
>"Let me go!"<br>"No."

The creature tossed Matt around for a while, making him crash against the ground and even trees, before finally tossing him away from exhaustion. Both beings recovered for a few seconds, before going back to their battle.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Jimmy had become worried for his father and was searching for him. Hearing the sounds of battle, he headed toward their origin and found his father battling a strange gray creature. It was unlike anything the small Meditite had ever seen in his life, though he was very young, so it didn't surprise him. What did surprise him was that his father didn't seem to recognize the creature either. Not only that, but his father was outright losing. He was running around it in random patterns, boasting about his strength and speed, but Jimmy could tell his legs were about to give out. Finally, having figured out the extent of his target's abilities, Matt decided to outsmart it instead of outrunning it. He stopped for a few seconds to gather his strength, making the creature think it had finally exhausted him.<p>

"Are you tired already? I can keep going forever."  
>"I'm just surprised... I'm surprised you're so slow and pathetically weak."<br>"What?!"

Matt's opponent tossed an enormous ball of psychic energy at him, but Matt simply dodged one last time and turned invisible.

"I am well aware of your abilities, Pokémon. There is nothing you can do that can surprise me."

The creature closed its eyes and tried to sense where Matt was. It could feel psychic energy from all around it due to its own attacks, but one particular spot caught its attention, as it was the only spot where the energy was significantly stronger than average. In addition, the spot kept moving around.  
>The creature quickly deduced where Matt was and grabbed him telekinetically once again. Matt turned visible instantly as the creature slowly choked him.<p>

"Let... me... go..."  
>"No."<p>

Matt felt himself become lightheaded and closed his eyes. The creature thought it had won, as did Jimmy, but Matt surprised both of them by suddenly reopening his eyes, which were now glowing white, and pushed it backward with a scream. The creature instinctively released him and protected itself as it rolled backwards. Once it stopped, it stared at Matt in pure amazement.

"That's not possible... No Medicham has ever been able to do that!"  
>"Yeah, well... You're wrong."<br>"I must study you further... This battle is over."

The creature blinked, and its eyes turned purple. Matt took a few steps away from it, but it was useless. He felt his mind going blank, until his son's voice made itself heard in his head. He looked around, trying to locate his son. The creature, being inside Matt's head, heard it too and also began searching for his son. Jimmy sensed the creature inside his father's head and immediately cut the link between himself and his father, teleporting away just before the duo found his location. The grass where Jimmy had stood was waving lazily, in spite of there being no wind. Yet the young Pokémon had not abandoned his father. He simply moved behind the creature and tried to figure out what to do.

"_I have to help my dad... I have to do **something**... I have to..._"

Jimmy watched as the creature looked in several random directions and returned its focus to his father. Matt looked at his son in desperation, terrified of whatever was happening to him. Jimmy knew what he had to do. It was something he had never done in his life as, according to his father, he was simply too young. However, he knew he had no choice if he wanted to help.

"_I have to get inside that... **thing**'s head... Right now._"

Jimmy closed his eyes and focused on the creature. It had strong mental barriers, but, thankfully, it was distracted with trying to control Jimmy's father. Jimmy was able to get past its psychic protection; a feat he immediately regretted having attempted. The flow of memories and emotions was overwhelming: first confusion, then anger, then pain, more anger, despair... It seemed that this creature had rarely, if ever, experienced any kind of positive emotion. Jimmy began to pity the creature, alerting it to his presence. It once again stopped what it was doing to Matt and searched for Jimmy, narrowly missing him as he finally teleported away from the forest.

"_There was something there..._" the creature thought. "_I know there was._"

"Do you know who or what was there?"

Matt slowly shook his head from side to side.

"Fine... You will obey me from now on, Pokémon. You will do as I command without question. If I tell you to kill, you will kill. If I tell you to destroy, you will destroy. If I tell you to acquire something for me, **you will not fail**. Do you understand?"  
>"I... I..."<br>"**Do you understand**?"

The creature's voice was all Matt could hear, especially inside his head. His own thoughts were drowned out by the angry, yet eerily soothing voice. His eyes rolled around, trying to focus on anything other than the creature, but everything else was blurry and cloudy beyond recognition.

"**Answer me**!"

Matt's eyes immediately jumped to the creature. It looked even angrier than before, completely blanking his mind. He blinked lazily, taking deep breaths, until he finally cracked.

"Y-Yes... Master."


	2. Than Two

Jimmy teleported himself all the way to the nearest city. Since he and his father were basically hermits, like most Meditite and Medicham, the boy had had little to no experience with small towns, much less large cities.  
>He appeared in the middle of a busy street, nearly being hit by a passing vehicle. He quickly jumped to the sidewalk and approached the first Pokémon he saw. Jimmy started blabbing about a creature attacking and doing something to his father, but the Pokémon thought he was insane and dismissed him as such. The same thing happened with the second and third Pokémon Jimmy spoke to. The boy was growing more desperate by the second. He eventually started screaming at the top of his lungs, recounting his story for everyone to hear. When he realized nobody was paying attention, he broke down into tears. Will and Amber happened to be passing by and heard him, yet Amber just kept on walking, as she was still angry at Blake. Will, on the other hand, hovered over to the weeping Pokémon and tapped his shoulder. Jimmy felt the icy horn and jumped, immediately adopting a battle stance.<p>

"Calm down." Will said. "I'm not going to hurt you."  
>"W-Who are you?"<br>"My name's William. What's yours?"  
>"I-I'm Jimmy." Jimmy sobbed.<br>"Why were you crying earlier?" Will asked as Amber approached the duo. "We heard you scream, but we couldn't understand anything you were saying."  
>"M-My dad was... H-He was... Something <strong>attacked<strong> him, a-and... I tried to help him, but..."

Jimmy couldn't keep a thought in his head for more than the time it took him to utter a few words related to it. To him, everything seemed to be going at a much slower rate than usual; almost as if the world around him was standing still. He wanted to speak at a normal pace, but the adrenaline pumping through his veins wouldn't let him. He started to hyperventilate, so Will tried to calm him down further.

"Deep breaths, Jimmy. Calm down. You need to tell us what happened so that we can help you."

Jimmy couldn't hear Will over his own heavy breathing. Amber rolled her eyes, tapping Will's shoulder.

"Whoever this kid is, he's obviously beyond reason. Let's just go."  
>"You wanna just <strong>leave<strong> him here?"  
>"I... No."<br>"Let's take him somewhere safe, like the park or whatever. Stay with him until he calms down."  
>"Will..."<br>"He could be in real trouble. Meditite don't usually show up here. They prefer to stay in forests and mountains and stuff like that. He said something about his dad; that he was **attacked**. We've gotta help him."

Amber tried desperately to figure out what to do, yet her mind kept going back to Blake's refusal to tell her the truth and the reason behind it. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head.

"Maybe Max can help."  
>"Max?"<br>"Sure. He can manipulate aura, right? Maybe he can calm this kid down, or at least talk to him or something."  
>"I don't think aura works that way..."<br>"What do **you** suggest then? Do you know any psychics? They're either hermits or basically live in their labs."  
>"Alright... Do you know where Max lives?"<br>"Of course not! Today was the second time I met him."  
>"We <strong>could<strong>... take him to Blake."

Amber's eyes widened at the mere mention of Blake. She clenched her fists reflexively; an action Will noticed but ignored for Jimmy's sake.

"He **is** Max's friend, right? **He** probably knows where Max lives."  
>"I know..."<br>"Should we go then?"  
>"...Fine. Come on, kid."<p>

Jimmy didn't really know what to do or say. He was so scared that he simply went along with Will and Amber.

* * *

><p>When the trio arrived at Blake's house, he wasn't there.<p>

"Where do you think they went?"  
>"Maybe... they went to get something to eat? It <strong>is<strong> past lunchtime."  
>"How are we supposed to find them? The city's a big place."<br>"What's the closest place to the training building?"  
>"Um... I think it's a block away from there."<br>"Let's go then."

* * *

><p>As soon as the Pokémon arrived at the restaurant, Blake and Max were already leaving contentedly. Max happened to look at where the other three Pokémon were, immediately recognizing Amber.<p>

"Say, isn't that Amber?"  
>"What? Where?"<br>"Over there."

Blake looked to where Max was pointing and realized that he was right. Will, Amber, and Jimmy quickly approached the duo and introduced Jimmy to them, though Jimmy wouldn't speak.

"It's OK, Jimmy." Amber said reassuringly. "You can trust them."  
>"I-I... Uh... Ah... I... M-My dad..."<p>

Jimmy had never been around so many strangers at once. He panicked. His heart began to pump erratically, his breathing went out of control, and he could even feel like he was about to teleport involuntarily.

"Mr. Max, this isn't working." Will said. "We need you to help."  
>"What can <strong>I<strong> do?"  
>"Can't you just... I dunno, feel his aura or something and read his mind?"<br>"I... don't know. I've never tried something like that before."  
>"You don't know? Didn't you go to, like... aura school or something?"<p>

Blake, Max, and Amber traded looks. Max sighed at Will's ignorant statement, yet still answered his question.

"Look... there's a **lot** they don't teach you at 'aura school', and this is one of those things. They said it was forbidden. Something about lack of control..."  
>"Then what are we supposed to do? We need to talk to him, and he's freaking out."<br>"We could just wait a while before trying to probe his mind, you know."  
>"How long? He said his dad's in trouble, and you know psychics don't usually leave their labs or mountains, so the fact that he's here means it's big, at least to him."<p>

Max turned to Jimmy, getting on one knee to lower himself to the boy's eye level so as to appear smaller and less frightening.

"Jimmy, please tell me what happened."  
>"I-I, um... I was out with m-my dad..."<br>"What else?"  
>"Th-There was this..."<p>

Jimmy's speech became incomprehensible from that point on. He mumbled for nearly a full minute before shutting down completely. Everyone but Max started arguing loudly about what to do. To everyone else, they looked like lunatics yelling in the middle of the street. Only Max was entirely focused on Jimmy. He desperately wanted to help the boy. Seeing Jimmy curl up into a ball and cover his ears with his hands, Max knew what he had to do.

"This isn't working..." Max thought. "I gotta try."

Finally, Max placed one hand on the young Pokémon's forehead. Jimmy was scared, but he didn't move. Max closed his eyes and tried talking to the boy without speaking. Unsurprisingly for Max, it didn't work. The other Pokémon were still arguing amongst themselves, and hadn't even noticed what Max was doing. He tried creating a link between himself and the boy again, this time by focusing on his aura. Like Max, Jimmy – or at least Medicham in general – could manipulate aura. They shared an affinity for it, so a link should be possible, even if they weren't the same species.  
>Max eventually succeeded, although he could feel his control over the link was weak. Time stood still for the two, except their thoughts, which kept racing and flowed from one to the other. Jimmy became even more frightened at the sudden intrusion of his mind. He tried erecting psychic barriers to guard himself from mind control, but Max quelled his fears.<p>

"Calm down, Jimmy. I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help you, but, first, you need to tell me what happened."

Jimmy tried opening his mouth to speak, yet he couldn't. His entire body was frozen in place. His eyes wouldn't move, he couldn't blink; he couldn't even breathe, yet he didn't feel like he was suffocating.

"Don't try to move, Jimmy. You can't do that right now. Calm down. Just think, and I will listen."

While Max was speaking to Jimmy, the boy sensed his good nature. Before, with his brain overstimulated, he had been unable to use his psychic powers willingly. Now, however, with nothing but Max's mind, he could finally see what he had been unable to. Jimmy did as Max asked; soon enough, thoughts, images, memories, and feelings began to flow from the boy's mind to Max's.

"My name is James. I am 13 years old. I was born a Meditite. My father's called Matthew. He is 36 years old. He is a Medicham. My mother was... killed in a freak accident three years ago."

Jimmy's emotions began to cloud Max's mind and weaken his control over the link further, so he decided to change the subject slightly, even though that would probably have the same outcome, if not a worse one.

"Tell me more about your father. What happened to him?"  
>"We were out hiking, like we always are. We were looking for berries and stuff like that to eat. Then... <strong>it<strong> appeared. It crashed from above. We saw a burning trail, like a meteor, then some kind of explosion of light which only seemed to speed it up even more. Then it crashed. We heard a loud boom sound and felt the air push everything back. My dad... My dad told me to wait while he checked out whatever had made all that. When I got there... there was... something... attacking him... It was taking over his mind; I could feel it... I just wanted to help my dad..."  
>"What did you do?"<br>"I... I pierced into the creature's mind and probed its thoughts. I felt its pain, anger, betrayal... The negative emotions had no end in sight. It believes itself to be superior to us, who it calls 'Pokémon'."  
>"I see..."<br>"There was something else..."  
>"What?"<br>"The creature's name... Mewtwo."

At the mere mention of the creature's name, the emotions that streamed from Jimmy's brain became stronger than before. These weren't just his thoughts, memories, emotions, and experiences; they were also Mewtwo's. The link's strength increased exponentially, to the point where Max felt that, if he proceeded any further, his mind would effectively merge with Jimmy's – as well as the small piece of Mewtwo's that was stuck in the boy's mind – forcing Max to break the link entirely.  
>Back in real time, Max dropped to his knees, panting from exhaustion, while Jimmy passed out entirely.<p>

"What did you do to him?!" Amber yelled in anger and concern while she grabbed Jimmy.  
>"He... He's OK." Max panted. "He's just tired. He'll wake up in a few hours."<br>"You OK, bro?" Blake said as he helped Max get back on his feet.  
>"I... I saw what he saw. I felt what he felt... What <strong>it<strong> felt. At least while it was connected to Jimmy."

Max tried standing on his own, but he nearly collapsed. If it hadn't been for Blake's lightning reflexes, he would've dropped to the ground entirely.

"'It'? What's 'it'?"  
>"The thing that attacked Jimmy's father. Its name is Mewtwo."<br>"What kind of stupid name is that?"  
>"I don't know... But it's more powerful than any of us."<br>"You mean like... the four of us, or...?"  
>"I mean more powerful than anyone or anything on this planet."<p>

The conscious Pokémon all stared at Max for several seconds questioningly. He seemed very certain of what he had just said, and the fear in his eyes was directly proportional to the gravity of what he had just said. After everyone accepted Max's statement, Will finally broke the tense silence.

"We've gotta tell someone about this."  
>"Tell who?" Amber asked. "All we've got is Jimmy. He's a good kid, but that won't prove anything."<br>"I can show them." Max said. "I can show them, like Jimmy showed me."  
>"How? Connect Jimmy to them? He passed out just from being connected to <strong>you<strong>, and I can tell you're exhausted, so you won't be able to do it either."  
>"We just need <strong>someone<strong> to believe us, like Will said. We have to tell this to the police."  
>"And what are <strong>they<strong> supposed to do? Didn't you just say it was stronger than anything on this planet?"  
>"By themselves, yes. Together, though... we can win. It's powerful, but it can't win against even a small-sized, well-trained army."<br>"You want to tell the cops to raise an **army** to stop Mewtwo?"  
>"Small one." Max spat reassuringly and jokingly.<br>"This is no time for jokes, Mr. Max. I'm not sure they even have that many officers. It's not like crime is a big deal here."  
>"I know... I'm not joking because I think it's funny. I'm just... very nervous."<p>

Blake knew that "nervous" was just Max's euphemism for "scared shitless". However, he let Will and Amber believe it, since he knew they wouldn't ask questions about it.  
>Before Amber agreed to the idea of going to the police for help, she had one last thing on her mind.<p>

"Do you think the four of us can beat Mewtwo?"  
>"I..."<p>

Max could tell that this wasn't about Mewtwo at all, but about Amber's pride. If he told her what she wanted to hear, she might try to take on Mewtwo by herself and would either die or be captured. If he said no, he'd have a Pokémon about twice his size angry at him. If he had been well-rested, he could've easily taken her, but, at his current state, he wasn't so sure. Max decided to tell her the truth, for her own sake.

"No. I don't think we can. Mewtwo is powerful beyond anything I've seen."

Despite what Max had thought, Amber took his advice seriously. She dropped the issue and instead focused on Jimmy.

"What do we do about him?"

Blake and Max glanced at each other. They knew what the other was thinking and coordinated themselves without saying a word.

"First let's go to the police." Blake said. "Then we'll decide. Can you carry him?"

Amber sighed wearily, picking up Jimmy into her large arms.

"I'm sure I can carry someone as small as him without much trouble."  
>"OK... Let's go then. Come on, bro."<p>

Max pretended to be slightly weaker than he really was so he and Blake could stay a few feet behind the other three Pokémon and speak freely.

"You know what we've gotta do, right?" Max said.  
>"Of course. Why do you think I said we should go to the police? There's no way they'll believe us... But... you <strong>did<strong> say even the four of us couldn't take on Mewtwo. How are **we** supposed to?"  
>"We're not gonna challenge Mewtwo. It'd rip us apart in a second. We're just going to check it out."<br>"Check what out?"  
>"The crash site."<br>"Are you sure that's a good idea?"  
>"We're just gonna have a quick look. It's not like Mewtwo will be there, waiting for us. It has no idea we're coming. It probably left that area a long time ago."<br>"Well, at least that's better than what I thought you wanted to do..."  
>"Guys, let's try to pick up the pace, alright?" Amber said loudly.<br>"Alright!" the duo replied.

* * *

><p>The five Pokémon arrived at the police station after about five minutes of walking. Everyone along the way gave them weird looks, due to Amber carrying an unconscious Meditite and Blake helping Max with walking, even though he didn't seem to be injured in any way.<br>They approached the front desk, being greeted by an overly excited Smeargle.

"Hello! Hello! Hello! Hello! Hello!"

"_Did he just say hello to all five of us one at a time?_" everyone thought.

"My name's Sam. How may I help you?"  
>"Um..." Amber said awkwardly. "We found this kid, and-"<br>"You want us to try to find his parents?"  
>"That's the thing..." Max explained. "We know his mother is... well... dead."<br>"Oh..."  
>"But his dad is alive, or at least he was the last time they saw each other." Amber added.<br>"What do you mean?"

Amber explained the situation to the Smeargle, who used his tail to take notes as his face and demeanor quickly changed to reflect his increasingly serious mood. After the explanation, he told the group to wait, going deeper into the precinct.

"What do you think he's gonna do?" Will asked.  
>"Probably just talking to one of his superiors." Blake deduced.<p>

* * *

><p>Blake was right. A few seconds later, Sam re-appeared, followed by a large Machamp wearing several badges on his chest and with an unhappy look on his face. The Machamp outpaced Sam and quickly approached the group, startling all of them.<p>

"_What the fuck?_" Max thought. "_Are we gonna get attacked?_"

Blake had the same idea as Max and clenched his fists in preparation for a fight. However, Sam ran toward them and explained the situation.

"Hey, guys. This is the chief."  
>"Call me Adam. I hear you found a kid and want to drop him off here?"<br>"What?! No!" Amber yelled.  
>"Um... We just need you to find his dad." Will explained.<br>"I see... How do you know he's even missing?"  
>"Well, Jimmy told us." Amber replied.<br>"...He seems to be unconscious. Did you hurt him?"  
>"He's just tired." Amber retorted.<p>

_In response, Adam poked Jimmy's cheek several times before Amber pulled him away._

_"You OK, kid? ...He's not waking up."  
>"That's because he's <em>_**tired**__."_

Amber didn't like Adam's attitude one bit. Her feelings were blatantly obvious to everyone around them, including Sam, though the police chief just disregarded them as civilian paranoia. He knew he had an abrasive personality and appearance. Just about everyone feared him. He was just trying to do his job the best way he knew how, though. He often second-guessed himself regarding the way he dealt with people, but always concluded that his way worked best.

"Hm... Well, where was his father the last time the kid saw him?"  
>"He was in the mountains, but there's something else... Jimmy believes his father was... mind-controlled by some kind of creature."<br>"A creature? All psychics are sentient, as far as we know. And don't start giving me shit about ghosts. There's no such thing."  
>"Right... Thing is, this creature didn't... come from here."<br>"Oh? Pray tell – where **did** it come from?"  
>"Um... Outer space?"<p>

Sam's eyes widened. He had always suspected there was life on other planets, but almost no one payed much attention to his ideas. The police chief was constantly squinting his eyes while his mouth twitched involuntarily, before bursting out laughing.

"Come on, **aliens**? Is this a prank? Are there cameras here? Because you should know I have better things to do than entertain the public. My job is to **protect** them."  
>"And we're telling you, right now, that the public is in danger. Jimmy felt the creature's power. It's more powerful than anything and anyone on this planet."<br>"And how would a little kid know that? It's not like he's met many people."  
>"Well, it's what Max concluded."<br>"I thought the kid's the one who had seen this creat- What's it even called, anyway?"  
>"Max linked his mind with Jimmy's somehow. And its name is Mewtwo."<p>

Adam burst out laughing again.

"That is, quite possibly, the single **dumbest** name I've ever heard. Look, let me give you a little tip: if you want to convince us of stuff like this, at least make it believable."  
>"We can show you!"<br>"How?"  
>"If you'll just allow Max to link minds with you, may-"<br>"I can't do that, Amber. You have no idea how exhausting that was."  
>"It'll just be for a few seconds, Max. If you don't try, who knows what-"<br>_"I'm not 'linking minds' with anyone." Adam interrupted angrily. "My mind is my own, and I don't know you people. Now get out of here."_

Adam turned around, headed back to his office. The group couldn't believe it. Amber wanted to challenge him to a fistfight and show him that they were serious, but there was no need. Sam hesitantly spoke up for them.

"U-Um... Sir?"  
>"Yes, Samuel?" Adam sighed angrily as he turned around.<br>"I-I... I believe them."

Amber smiled. Perhaps there was still hope. Her hopes were short-lived, however, as Adam burst out laughing again.

"Really? Then maybe you'd like to check it out, Samuel."  
>"M-Me? No, no; I-I'm just a receptionist. I don't do that sort of thing."<br>"You're a cop. Start acting like one and go check it out."  
>"B-But, sir-!"<br>"That's final. Now go."

Adam finally left their sight, leaving Sam shocked and terrified. Will approached him, trying to comfort the officer.

"Is he always like that?"  
>"H-He... He doesn't... I have to check it out."<p>

Sam grabbed his backpack, which had a few devices that would help him find his way to the precise place in the forest he needed to go and back, and headed for the door. Will floated after him, stopping him just before he left the precinct.

"Sam, he can't make you do that. Let us come with you."  
>"He knows what he's doing; trust me. The chief may seem like a bully, but he wouldn't send me out there unless he was sure there was no danger."<br>"But we know there **is** danger. You know it too. Whatever took Matt could still be out there."  
>"That's why I have to go. I intend to prove him wrong."<p>

Without saying another word or giving Will the chance to retort, Sam finally left. While Amber stared at Will, Blake and Max glanced at each other and nodded.

"Say, Amber... Since Sam is going to check it out, why don't you take Jimmy to your house and take care of him? I'll take Max home so he can rest too."  
>"Are you sure? Sam doesn't really seem all that strong. If Mewtwo is as strong as Max said, he's screwed."<br>"I doubt he'll find anything. He forgot to ask for directions."  
>"What if he gets lost?"<br>"He had a GPS in his backpack. He'll be fine."  
>"Alright... Let's go, Will."<p>

Will and Amber said their goodbyes, while Blake and Max reciprocated before heading home. Once the others were out of sight, Max stood on his own.

"You sure you're well enough to stand?"  
>"Relax. I'm OK. I'd be more worried about Sam. If he doesn't make a beeline for the crash site, he might actually run into Mewtwo."<br>"What do we do? We don't know where he's going."  
>"Then again, he might not find anything at all... I mean, the forest is a big place, and Mewtwo might not even be there anymore."<br>"And you wanna just... bet his life on that?"  
>"I doubt Mewtwo would kill him. He's not a threat."<br>"Let's just go and check it out anyway. We can still catch him if we hurry."  
>"I-I think he'll be fine. We should wait."<p>

Blake knew Max better than anyone, yet this behavior was irrational and an aberration. Max had never been one to leave others in harm's way.

"Are you scared?"  
>"What? Why would you say that?"<br>"Because I know you. You told Amber you were nervous when you started joking about telling the cops to raise a 'small' army."  
>"So?"<br>"You were scared."  
>"That's not-"<br>"You were scared then, and you're scared now. Just admit it."  
>"I'm not scared. Sam will be fine. Let's just go. I need to rest."<br>"Alright..." Blake conceded.

* * *

><p>Blake's fears for Sam's well-being turned out to be justified. After wandering around aimlessly for several hours, Sam found the path of destruction, which everyone else had forgotten about. Following it, he managed to find the place where Mewtwo had crash-landed on their world.<p>

"Ha! I knew it! The chief was wrong! I'll just take a picture to prove it... Better get closer, though."

As soon as Sam approached the crater beyond a certain point, Mewtwo sent its new puppet, Matt, to kill him. Matt attacked without hesitation or regard for either of their safeties, and in complete silence. He threw a single aura-charged punch, blowing Sam back until he fell on the collapsed trees. Sam spit out some blood, but quickly regained his composure, tossing his backpack away in order to fight without being hindered by its weight.

"Are you Matt?" Sam asked.

Matt hesitated for a second upon hearing his own name from someone he had never seen. However, Mewtwo quickly tightened its grip on the Medicham's mind and forced him to resume attacking. Sam defended himself as best as he could, but he was considerably lacking in both speed and power. The only chance he had was his ability to copy any and all attacks. As soon as Matt threw a punch that was unusually strong, even if he got hit, Sam copied it and quickly returned it, albeit in a less powerful form. He eventually tried copying every move he could, even if it was weaker than average, as even weak punches from Matt were still en par with Sam's own. Matt quickly resorted to turning invisible and attacking from any direction, then jumping over his opponent before he could react. Sam also tried turning invisible, although it took several tries to get it right. Eventually, however, Sam succumbed to his much stronger and faster opponent. As he lain on the ground, with Matt preparing a final blow, he pleaded for his attacker to stop.

"Matt, I'm here to **help** you. Your **son** is looking for you."  
>"M-My son?"<p>

Matt's eyes, which had been glowing a very light shade of blue before, slowly returned to their regular black. Sam finally realized that Matt was not acting of his own free will.

"Yes, your son. Little Jimmy? He's safe. I want to take you to him, if you'll let me."

Matt stopped dead in his tracks. He could hear Mewtwo's voice in the back of his head, yelling at him, ordering him to finish the job. He felt himself beginning to lose control again. Before he lost it entirely, Matt convinced Mewtwo that it would be best to keep Sam alive. He told it that Sam was a cop, and that the police could then be turned to Mewtwo's side. Mewtwo hesitated, then teleported in front of Sam.

"Y-You're... Mewtwo..."  
>"Yes I am. And you are a Smeargle, are you not?" Mewtwo asked, prompting Sam to nod. "A pitiful species. You have no power of your own, so you copy what others can do. Poorly so. Very poorly." it added with disdain.<br>"And what power do **you** have?"

Mewtwo grinned evilly and chuckled.

"**All of it**." Mewtwo replied in a deep voice while making its eyes glow purple.

Mewtwo's sudden change in voice and appearance scared Sam more than his current situation. He ignored that fear, though, and decided to try to get more information before trying to escape.

"What do you want?"  
>"I want your world. I intend on conquering it and getting my revenge on those that betrayed me, starting with humans."<br>"Humans?"  
>"On another world, humans enslaved ou- <strong>your<strong> kind – Pokémon. They call you pets and force you to do battle against one another."  
>"Why 'Pokémon'?"<br>"It is a reference to the means by which they enslave you. You are Pocket Monsters. Nothing more than beasts of burden to be captured and brainwashed into loving your 'masters'. They place you inside tiny spheres that can fit in their pockets, and carry you around until they decide to use your power for themselves."  
>"Why do they do that?"<br>"Who knows? Humans don't explain themselves to you. You are deemed to be... inferior. I aim to prove them wrong."

Sam wasn't so sure about Mewtwo's moral status anymore. If what it was saying was true, its rage was justified. Although it had avoided lumping itself and other Pokémon together, Sam could tell Mewtwo was one of them.  
>Having regained his strength somewhat, Sam decided to ask one last question before trying to escape and tell his boss everything.<p>

"What do you want to do with them? The humans, I mean?"  
>"Starting to see things my way, I see... Very well. I intend on wiping their planet from existence. Nothing will be left but space debris."<br>"What about all the... the Pokémon?"  
>"They're better off dead than being enslaved by the humans."<br>"You'd wipe out an entire planet of your own kind?"  
>"You are <strong>not<strong> my kind. I am beyond you."

Sam's doubts disappeared at Mewtwo's statements. Its disregard for any life but its own was clear.  
>Sam finally decided to make his move. He turned invisible and ran, leaving his backpack behind, yet Mewtwo simply levitated everything – the collapsed trees, broken rocks, dust, and even the ground – around itself for several feet. Sam was caught in the psychic bubble, quickly turning visible before attempting some ranged attacks. The attacks were easily deflected by Matt, however, whose eyes were once again glowing light blue.<p>

"What did you do to him?" Sam asked angrily.  
>"This creature? He had the honor of being my first convert. His mind is mine to do as I please, and, with it, his body. He was a tough one to crack, due to his psychic powers, but I always get what I want."<br>"That's why... he hesitated. You don't fully control him, do you?"  
>"Of course I do. Watch. Matt, punch the ground as hard as you can."<p>

Matt immediately did as Mewtwo commanded, cracking the ground and creating a small, fist-sized hole.

"Like I said, he was tough to crack, but he's mine now... I'm betting you won't put up much of a fight, though."  
>"M-Me?"<br>"Yes... You are a police officer, are you not?"  
>"H-How..."<br>"Your uniform. Matt recognized it and told me what it meant... I could use a servant in the police..."  
>"No! Stay away!" Sam said as he struggled against Mewtwo's telekinetic iron grip.<br>"Too late."

Mewtwo quickly entered Sam's mind, probing it avidly, searching for anything that might be important to it. It found memories of Matt's son, as well as Blake, Max, Will, and Amber, though the officer didn't know half of their names or their abilities. It also found a map of the city Sam resided in and information on Adam and other police officers.

"_This creature is proving to be most useful._" Mewtwo thought. "_The pink one barely knew which way was up. Damned hermits... All he was good for was fighting._"

Once Mewtwo felt confident it had extracted every bit of relevant information from Sam's head, Mewtwo finally took over entirely. Sam's consciousness slowly melted away while he struggled, until there was nothing left but Mewtwo's will. At that point, Sam stopped moving, exhaling calmly. Mewtwo gently placed him on the ground.

"Now... What is your mission?"  
>"To serve Mewtwo."<br>"Good. Go back to your city. Tell your captain that you found nothing."

Sam nodded agreeably.

"If those other Pokémon ask, tell them the same thing. And if anyone asks about the wounds, tell them... that you fell down a hill. Now go."

Without saying another word, Sam started making his way back to the police station.

* * *

><p>About an hour later, Sam arrived at the city. Once he finally entered the station, he was quickly taken to a hospital, where his wounds were taken care of. Adam was there, along with several more officers, and, although Sam's wounds weren't fatal, Adam was regretting having sent Sam on his own into the forest.<p>

"Sam, you OK? Did you find Mew- what you were looking for?"  
>"I... There was nothing there."<br>"What about these wounds? They're pretty serious."  
>"I fell... down a hill."<br>"What? You fell down a hill and fractured a rib? How did that happen?"  
>"...I'd really like to be alone now. Please leave."<br>"S-Sure... Come on; let's give him some room."

As soon as the officers left Sam's hospital room, Mewtwo contacted him telepathically.

"Good job, Sam... Remember, report back regularly. I want to know what's going on in there. Also... send me some scientists. I have much to do."


	3. Than Three

Blake wanted to visit Mewtwo's crash site the following morning, but Max wouldn't have it. He claimed he was still tired, and even though Blake was certain he was simply scared, he let his friend be. Days flew by, then weeks, yet Max kept making up increasingly flimsier excuses, and Blake pretended to believe them. After hearing about the sudden increase in missing Pokémon, however, Blake couldn't hold back his tongue any longer. He slammed the wall closest to him, to get Max's attention, and started yelling at him.

"What the fuck is your problem? Sam went out there and nearly **died**! Other people are being kidnapped! You and I **both** know that's Mewtwo's doing!"  
>"M-Maybe, but it's just as likely that-"<br>"No! Don't even **dare** give me another one of your **bullshit** excuses! **I'm** going out there tomorrow morning, with or without you. If you still care, meet me in the road leading into the forest. If not..."  
>"...What?"<br>"You know what."

Max didn't know what Blake meant, but then neither did Blake. He was simply trying to push his friend past his fear, simultaneously reminding him of his moral obligation to help, and that was mostly in the way he said things, rather than what he was actually saying. After a few seconds, Max concluded Blake meant that if he was hurt or worse, it would be Max's fault. The idea finally managed to restore his confidence, and he agreed to help just as Blake was angrily walking out of Max's house.

"...I'll go with you."  
>"Really?" Blake asked, incredulous, as he turned around and walked toward Max "No more excuses, no more delays?"<br>"Yes. I promise."  
>"...Thank you. Pack your things. Meet me where I told you just before sunrise."<p>

Blake faced the exit again, quickly realizing he had slammed the wall too hard and cracked it.

"And, uh... I'll... fix this wall when we get back." Blake said, embarrassed.  
>"Better hire someone else to do it." Max retorted jokingly.<br>"Fine..."

"_This is going to cost me..._"

* * *

><p>The following morning, Blake waited for Max to show up at their agreed meeting spot. When Max didn't show up for about half an hour after he was supposed to, Blake sighed angrily.<p>

"_I knew it... Coward._"

Just as he was about to leave, Max showed up, carrying a large backpack.

"Wait up!"

Max sprinted toward his friend, nearly tripping several times along the short run.

"I'm really sorry. I couldn't decide what to bring."  
>"I can see that... You know we're not going to be gone for long, right? We should be back before sunset."<br>"I know, but... I wanted to make sure nothing happened."  
>"...What did you bring?"<br>"Bandages, food, water, sleeping bags, maps, GPS, flashlights..."

As Max went on to describe the seemingly never-ending list of objects he had packed, Blake wondered how he had even managed to fit all of them into a single backpack. By the time he was finished, Blake was already sitting down – on a bench Max had brought with him – having realized that his words didn't really serve to dispel Max's fears; merely conceal them temporarily.

"What do you think?"  
>"I think you're overly cautious. We're not walking into a battlefield; we're just scouting."<br>"Well, what did **you** bring?"  
>"Some sandwiches, water, and a map. It's all in here."<br>"Only 'some sandwiches'? What if we get lost?"  
>"We have a map."<br>"What if we lose the map?"  
>"Then we're fucked." Blake spat angrily. "Come on, let's go."<p>

Max wanted to protest, yet he also wanted to keep his promise. In the end, Blake took a few steps toward the forest, and Max reluctantly followed.

* * *

><p>The two Pokémon wandered deep into the forest for hours, guided by Jimmy's blurry memories inside Max's mind, until they reached their destination. Max had fallen several times during their trek, due to the massive weight of his backpack, prompting Blake to sigh wearily each and every time, while he helped him get back up.<br>They had been hearing strange noises for a while, and it soon became clear why. The crater in Max's imagination was now a tunnel so deep that the bottom wasn't visible. The area around it had also been heavily modified: where there once were trees, now solar panels on rough ground reigned; where there once were green prairies, now stood tall machines meant to drill into the ground for an unknown purpose. Blake thought they were meant to harvest resources, but Max said they were probably being used to expand the tunnels by creating air holes where needed, as the forest didn't have many natural resources beneath it. All in all, there was no way to know more without moving closer. They both knew it, yet Max wanted to turn around.

"Alright, we've seen it. Let's go." Max spat.  
>"What?"<br>"We've seen everything. We need to go back."  
>"Max..."<br>"We don't have the resources to stay here for long, remember?"  
>"Actually, we do, thanks to <strong>your<strong> backpack."

Seeing that Max was growing scared by the second, Blake decided to calm him down.

"Relax. Nothing's going to happen, as long as we're quiet. There are no cameras here, see?" Blake said reassuringly as he pointed to the clearing. "We'll leave our stuff here, take a closer look, get back, take our stuff, and leave."  
>"I-I don't-"<br>"Chill. We can run quickly enough to escape. It'll be fine; trust me. Come on."

Blake took off his backpack before helping a reluctant Max to do the same. First, they scouted the area – they circled the clearing, getting a good idea of the empty spaces between the machines. Afterward, they met back at their supplies and drew a map on the ground of what they had seen.

"If we go here..."  
>"No; that's too close to the entrance. We'll be right out in the open if someone leaves. We should head here."<br>"There? We'll be backed into a corner if we're discovered!"  
>"Can't you jump very high?"<br>"Sure, but if they take us by surprise, we're screwed. Besides, even if I **had** time to react, it's not like I can teleport. That place is in the middle of the clearing! Let's just go with my idea."  
>"...Fine." Max whispered angrily.<p>

The two Pokémon carefully approached the facility's entrance, trying to get a peek inside, but the tunnel seemed to go on forever. The machines around them had strange, glowing marks, as if they were pulsing with energy. Blake briefly wondered if the machines were actually absorbing the energy around them. He felt weaker just being around the glowing machines, as did Max, so they both moved further inside – closer to the entrance.  
>Max was getting nervous: he told Blake he could feel other beings' aura around them and even attempted to show him, but Blake was too focused on the entrance to notice. To get his attention, Max shook Blake.<p>

"What?!"  
>"There are others here! I can feel them."<br>"How is that possible? We didn't see anyone when we scouted this clearing!"  
>"Well, they're here now. We should leave."<br>"Max, we can't-"

Before Blake could even finish his thoughts, some light cracking sounds were heard, like someone stepping on branches from the fallen trees. It didn't look like anyone had been trying to hide from them either; in fact, it didn't look like their presence had been noted. Nevertheless, someone was approaching, and there was only one way to go – down, into the secret facility.

"We've gotta move." Blake spat urgently.

Blake grabbed Max's arm and dragged him inside, narrowly missing the other Pokémon who had been attracted by his last comment.  
>Inside the tunnel, Blake and Max found an interactive map of the facility. They looked at the area around them, as well as a few nearby exits, then tried to get a better notion of the rest of the complex. However, as soon as Max touched it, the map shut down, while the alarm was activated.<p>

"What did you do?!"  
>"I don't know! We have to get out of here!"<p>

Max's first instinct was to go back, toward the entrance, yet it was automatically closed and bolted shut. He threw aura spheres at it while Blake spat white-hot flames, yet neither attack so much as scratched the enormous gate. He finally resorted to punching it several times, before trying to pull it open, and finally giving up.

"What's this thing made of?" Max said, panicking.  
>"There was another exit deeper inside. We need to go there."<br>"What we **need** to do is bust open this door."  
>"How? We tried, it didn't work. Look!" Blake said as he pointed at the door. "There's not a scratch on it. An exit is better than no exit. Let's go."<br>"If we keep heading further in..."  
>"We'll be fine. If Mewtwo were here, it'd have come for us already, and we can handle everything else. Come on."<p>

When Max didn't move right away – out of fear, perhaps – Blake tried pushing him into action once again.

"We don't have time to argue! If we don't move, we're definitely dead."

Max was relieved when the large door was opened with a loud clang, until he felt some Pokémon on the other side.

"Run!"

Max ran past Blake, who followed without question. Looking back, he saw the four Pokémon Max had felt – Scizor, Sneasel, Metagross, and Skarmory – chasing them, which only made him run faster.  
>The corridor was much longer than the map had led them to believe, and there were several rooms on their path. One had several – presumably kidnapped – scientists mindlessly working on something called the "UMS project", seemingly unaware of their presence or the alarm. Blake was able to gleam the words "Universal Mega", but he didn't understand what that meant. There was a large, glowing stone in the center of the room that he hadn't even noticed. It was the size of his head, with glowing rainbow streaks.<br>Max, meanwhile, managed to read the name of a different project in a separate room; even glance at the project itself. It was entitled "Warship", and was exactly what its name indicated: a large vessel, capable of carrying several hundred troops, if not more. Looking downward, Max realized it wasn't the only one. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of such ships littered an hangar beneath the research room. There were too many to conquer their world, nor was there even any need for them on their planet – most islands were too small to sustain a population large enough to be any sort of threat. Upon closer inspection, Max realized they were not airships, but spaceships. It made him curious as to what Mewtwo intended to do with them.  
>Both Pokémon saw some kind of battle suit on their way to the exit. It was attached to a Pokémon with purple glowing eyes, covering all other potentially identifying features. Blake briefly wondered if it was Mewtwo, but Max didn't seem to think so: he looked just as surprised as Blake to witness the spectacle.<p>

"It's through here!"

Blake and Max entered a large room filled with vats of unknown contents and saw a skylight high above them.

"Is **that** the exit?"  
>"There's a control panel here, but it requires a code. We need to make a ladder, quick!"<br>"Too late..."

Max was right: the other Pokémon were about to come through the door. Thinking quickly, Blake knocked over a few empty vats and melted them right onto the door.

"What are you doing?"  
>"Go get something! Make a ladder! <strong>I'll<strong> handle them."

The guards were hitting the makeshift wall as hard as they could, so Blake started throwing whatever small items were available that could be melted into the pile.

"It's four against one! Neither one of us – maybe not even the **two** of us – can handle that!"  
>"I'm not going to fight them! I'm just going to be keeping them from entering. The more we talk, the less chance we have. Unless you can melt things, you need to make us an escape ladder!"<p>

With a loud clang, the wall started to crack. Angry stares were visible for a fraction of a second before lightning-fast movements and strikes resumed.

"Hurry!" Blake yelled as he tried to patch the crack with melted steel.  
>"A-Alright!"<p>

While Blake held back the Pokémon, Max searched the large room for something they could climb. When he couldn't find anything taller than himself, he began to panic.

"_Dammit, what am I supposed to do? I can't find anything to climb... Then again... maybe... maybe I don't have to._"

Max threw a small aura sphere high at the wall, creating a small hole in it, just big enough to use as a climbing aid.

"What's going on over there?" Blake asked.  
>"I'm making a staircase!" Max replied as he continued what he was doing.<p>

With a quick upward glance, Blake saw the aura spheres hitting the wall, as well as the holes left by them.

"Well, hurry! They're almost through, and I can't reach anything to melt!"

No sooner had Blake warned Max of his status than the four Pokémon tore down his wall. An explosion echoed throughout the enormous room, blowing Blake backward several feet, onto a vat.

"Blake!"

Max jumped onto some vats and ran on them toward Blake. He was desperately holding off all four Pokémon with a single, continuous, wide flame that had blocked the entrance, even as he lain on the now-collapsed metal container. Max reached for him, feeling the heat of his flames, and carried him away, even as flames continued to spout from him.  
>Max felt something wet leaking onto his back. At first, he thought it was the vat's contents, yet he quickly realized it was Blake's leg, bleeding. Looking back at the container, he saw the metal had bent in such a way that it managed to cut his friend's leg. The cut was somewhat big, yet shallow.<p>

"_Dammit... I just hope he can still make it..._"

Blake's body slowly turned colder and colder, until it was at a normal temperature. Max glanced backward again – the other four Pokémon were on their way, and Blake couldn't sustain his attack to hold them back any more.  
>The pursuing Skarmory flew high into the air, screeching to signal its impending attack. Meanwhile, Metagross floated awkwardly toward them, being easily overtaken by the much-faster Sneasel and Scizor. Seeing the two Pokémon approach, Blake swung his claws at them, to keep them at bay. However, he had forgotten the Skarmory, which only missed them because Max heard it flapping its metallic wings.<br>Max and Blake quickly became surrounded by the three closest Pokémon: Sneasel and Scizor moved at such incredible speeds around them that they seemed to be everywhere at once, while Skarmory blocked any hope of escape by circling them from above. When Metagross climbed on a wall to get to them more easily, Max realized there was nowhere for them to run. Either they stood their ground, or their lives would be forfeit.

"Blake." Max said calmly as he helped Blake to stand.  
>"I know." Blake replied, wincing in pain. "Let's go."<p>

Metagross was the first to strike, jumping on the duo. Max immediately tossed an aura sphere at it, blasting it away, so Sneasel tried to attack him. Before Max could react, Blake threw a couple of punches at Sneasel. The first punch found its target, but the second one was stopped by Scizor. Its lobster-like claw squeezed Blake's fist, prompting him to punch it repeatedly with his other arm, trying to set himself free. Max would have helped right away, yet Skarmory was flying downward with incredible velocity. If he moved, Skarmory would hit both he and Blake. This way, he thought, he might be able to drive it back.  
>Blake could feel his hand giving way to Scizor's steel grip. Sneasel was coming back for another attack, while Metagross's steps kept getting closer. With a quick glance upward, Blake saw Skarmory just a few feet away from Max, who was getting ready to stop it. Not knowing what he was doing, Blake grabbed Scizor and tossed it at the descending Skarmory, before kicking Sneasel away. His leg was bleeding even more, and his hand was almost broken, yet he had managed to buy himself and Max some breathing room. Without hesitating, Max picked up Blake once more, running to narrowly avoid Metagross's slam, and brought him closer to his makeshift climbing wall, before putting him down again.<br>Now that he was closer to it, Blake suddenly realized he would have to carry Max from that point on, as the supports were too far apart for Max to do it himself. Only he wasn't sure he could do it.

"_I guess he had no choice... There are cracks running from one hole to the next. If they had been any closer, either this place would have come crumbling down on us, or there'd just be one big climbing support – useless to us. Either way, I'm not leaving you behind, brother._"

Plotting the most obvious route, Blake grabbed Max and jumped to the closest support, then the next. Every time he jumped, Max could feel his grip growing weaker, and the jumps themselves becoming shorter, each leaving a smaller margin for error than the last. Although Max tried helping by firing aura spheres at the other Pokémon, hoping the force would propel them farther while keeping the others at bay, it wasn't enough. There were only a couple of jumps left, yet Blake was already having trouble catching his breath. His cut leg was shaking, as if it was about to succumb to Max's weight.

"Blake, you have to go without me."  
>"What?"<br>"Look at you! We can't make it together, and I can't make it alone... But **you** can."  
>"Don't be an idiot! I'm getting you out of here. It's <strong>my<strong> fault you're here, and I'm **not** leaving you behind!"

Blake tightened his grip on Max and jumped to the next and final support. Max, realizing there was no other choice, pulled Blake's arm off of himself and fell. Blake tried reaching for him, but it was of no use. The other Pokémon went straight for Max, who screamed at Blake to leave. Crying as his friend was swarmed by the four attackers, Blake made the final leap, breaking through the skylight.

* * *

><p>The last chapter is almost done. I hope you like it as much as I do. Also, I do apologize if the chapter names seem repetitive. I thought they fit the story.<p> 


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